And McLintock, who skippered the north London club to the double in 1971, claims his former side must dip in to the transfer market again.

“Arsenal need three more players to be serious Premier League title contenders,” he told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show. “They need a centre-half, especially if Thomas Vermaelen is going, a big central midfielder and a centre forward.

“They were in a prime position last year to push on and win it [the title]. Giroud scored 22 goals last season, which is not bad at all, but he’s not a top centre forward. He did a good job but he was exhausted towards the end of the season. Yaya Sanogo, Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott are not centre forwards.

“We also need a big central midfielder. There’s a lack of height in Arsenal’s team and they always seem vulnerable at free-kicks and corners. Arsenal need a big Patrick Vieira type.”